I’d fallen for Mo.
And along the way, I started falling for all of them too.
I looked at Mag.
“Evie for you.She’s a nerd.But she’sgonnasort your shit.”
Mag blinked.
I looked to Auggie.
“Pepper for you.Just trust me on her.Perfect.”
My attention went to Axl.“Hattie.You’ll flip your shit forher.And she totally won’t for you.You’ll have to work for it.But she’ll makeit worth it.”
Axl tipped his head to the side, openly intrigued.
Finally, I turned to Boone.
As suspected from nuanced vibes I was getting from him,there was something guarded in his expression, and I wasn’t sure if it was mehe didn’t want to see it, or the others.
So I went out on a limb he didn’t know was a limb.
“Ryn,” I stated.“Kathryn.She’ll be beyond your wildestdreams.Yourwildestdreams, Boone.”
There was a flash of understanding that told me I’d guessedcorrectly, and I moved quickly in order not to allow the others to catch it.
I’d have that conversation with Boone later.
Alone.
I turned in Mo’s arm, looked up at him and said, “I justneed to finish sorting my purse and get my shoe on, baby.Then I’m ready toroll.”
Mo looked down at me a beat.
Then he smiled.
Pep talk delivered, I was good to go.
Still smiling, Mo dipped way down to touch his lips to mineand let me go.
I sorted my purse, but it was Mo who crouched down to put onmy shoe.
And with hugs and kisses on the top of my head from the guyswhile standing by Mo’s truck, and promises from Mag that the next time theycame over, he’d bring beer, we were on our way.
I was not surprised at Mo’s mom’s house.
He’d told me, in order to raise five children after hisfather ditched them without doing them the favor of actually ditching them, hismom worked hard to become a CPA.She’d semi-retired the year before, a partnerin a big firm in town.She still worked VIP clients, two to three days a week,because if she didn’t, she’d go crazy seeing as she didn’t knit, paint,birdwatch (or the like).
She’d also downsized houses after Mo had entered the Armyout of high school years ago.
So the brick Park Hill bungalow with the pergola over thefront porch, brick path, thick, green lawn and tidy but not effusivelandscaping that included black-eyed Susans in their final blooms was expected.
Sadly, by the time Mo parked behind a shiny Chevy Silverado,the pep talk had worn off.
This was the reason Mo turned to me and took my hand.
I gave him my gaze.
